Nearly one-third of Oneida County adults have received at least one COVID vaccine dose

UTICA, N.Y. — Almost one in three adults in Oneida County have now received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, the county government says.

More than 59,200 people in the county have received a minimum of one dose, as of 11 a.m. on Monday morning, according to the New York State Department of Health’s COVID-19 vaccine tracker. That equates to an estimated 32.9 percent of the county’s age 18-plus population and 25.8 percent of the total population. More than 35,900 people have completed a vaccine series, which equals about 20 percent of the adult population and 15.6 percent of the total population.

Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente, Jr. would like to see the pace of vaccinations continue to increase and reach a broader population by making more people eligible.

“It is important that all adults get the vaccine as soon as possible. I believe that at this point the vaccine should be open to all populations and will continue to stress that to our state and federal leaders,” he said in a statement on Saturday.

Oneida County has been reporting improved COVID-19 numbers in recent weeks as vaccinations ramp up and the spread of the virus subsides.

The county’s number of active positive cases fell to 439 as of Monday, down nearly 95 percent from the peak about 7,300, less than eight weeks ago.